Cable adjuster



C. MELIDONI July 6; l 948.

' CABLE ADJUSTER 7 Filed Sept. 10, 1946 ATTORNEY R m M W.

M 0 w L E M F- m T m T s N o c ment.

Patented July 6, 1948 A plication i ten tei 10. 1946. seria d- 6 9? j Claims. (01. 24-711) This invention'relates to a cabletake-up'device which. will tighten a cable inposition without disconnecting the connected ends of the cable.

An object of this invention is to provide a'cable take-up device having means for engaging a cable intermediate. its connected ends and'whereby a tightening operation maybe ca'rriedout on the cable without the need of special tools.

Another object of this invention is to provide a take-up device having spring means in contacting relation with a threadable adjusting member whereby when adjustment has been made, the

spring will automatically lock the threadable member in set position and maintain the adjust- Another object of this invention is to provide a cable adjuster which can be made ofstamped sheet metal whereby the device may be produced at a low cost so. as to be available to the vast majority of users of suchdevices.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cable adjusterhaving a cable contacting member slidable betweentwo alined upright guideways which terminate at predetermined levels to prevent the cable contacting member from becoming disengaged from the guideways.

It is to be noted that the importance of the two alined uprightguideways lies in the fact that they prevent the cable contacting member from moving out of vertical alinement. It is also to be noted that the cable contacting member has a concave wall into which the bolt enters and is also restrained from moving out of alinement with the guideways. This reinforces the bolt against sideways wedging under load.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention will be hereinafter more particularly described, and the combination and arrangement of parts will be shown in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims which form part of this specification.

Reference will now be had to the drawings, wherein like numerals of reference designate corresponding parts throughout the several views, in which:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of the device.

Figure 2 is a front elevation, partly broken away to show the operating mechanism.

Figure 3 is an end elevation.

Figure 4 is a rear elevation of the device.

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified bolt lock.

In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the numeral It! indicates a cable take-up device comprising a plate body member I I. The member II has two headed pins l2 fixedly secured at opposite ends thereof, the heads [3 extending in spaced-apart relation from the plate "body member ll. f

l The take-up device Ill comprises. a complemen; tary plate member I4 whichisfof smaller dimensions'than theplate body member ll. Shoulder pins I5 pass through the plate members I I and I4 and secure the plates in'spaced apart assembled relation L. l f; f

As best shown in Figures land 3, the' plate body member II has a rightangular'ex'tension I! having threaded aperture .113. ,Threadably' mountedin the aperture l8 isf jbolt met one end of which is a head 20 which is preferably formed hexagonal. v f f Theplate body member I I has a rib22 extending outwardly therefromzand providing aguidee way 23. The plate member i4 has a rib 24 ex tending outwardly 1 therefrom .and providing guideway 25. The guideways 23 and 25 are in alinement in yerticahplanes. I i 1 V Slidably mounted in the guideways menu 25 in the plate members i l andl4 is a cable con: tacting member 26. The free endofTthebolt is underoperating conditions in engagement'with the slidable member 26. It willthusjbe seen that the boltmay be rotated to move the slidable member Zipdown within the limits of the lengths of the guideways 23 and 25.

As best shown in Figure 2 it will be seen that a cable 28 may be passed over the right hand headed pin [3 and under the slidable member 26 and then over the left hand headed pin l3 and that upon rotating the bolt 19 the slidable member 26 may be moved downwardly and cause a tightening up of the cable 28.

The plate member 14 has an ear 3!] extruded therefrom. A strip of thin spring steel 3| is secured in the ear 30 and has its upper portion bent toward the hexagonal head 20 of the bolt Hi. The leaf spring 3| is positioned so as to come into resilient engagement with one of the sides of the hexagonal head and automatically lock the bolt in set position after an adjustment has been made. a

It is to be noted that the plate members I l and I4 have lower extensions 32, 33, which form between them a cable guideway 34. The guideway 34 prevents disengagement of a slack cable from the device.

Figure 5 shows a modified bolt lock wherein the bolt l9 has a lock nut 35 which serves ina manner like the spring 3| for locking the bolt after its position has been set.

It is to be noted that the bottom of the bolt is in contact with the concave upper surface 35 of the cable contacting member 26 whereby the bolt is centered during operating conditions. Also that the lower surface 31 of the member 26 is convex and in direct contact with the cable 28 and this prevents damage to the cable.

It is also to be noted that while I have shown headed pins I2 for engaging the cable, that I may form cable'engng-ing hooks bywbendingthe end portionsLof-mthe bodyame'mber ll hpwardlyinth-e same locations as the pins I2. The hooks will provide a less expensive method of engaging the cable.

In accordance with the patent statutes -I-"have* described and illustrated the preierred embodiment of my invention, but it will be understood that various changes and "modifioations can be made therein without departing from the spirit of the invention as defined by the appended m 7 V ji'olaim; K

1'. In "a cabletake-up device, comprising a ;plate body member having tworheaded pins w'rth fthe headed ends injspacediapaft "rl'ationfromsaid plate 'b'ody' memberfa oomplementaryiplate' mem 4 thereto, said bent portion having a threaded aper'-' ture, a bolt threadably mounted in said aperture, said members having ribs extending outwardly therefrom and forming upright and alined guideways, a U-shaped cable contacting member slidably mounted in said guideways, said complementary member having a spring extending therefrom in alinement with the head of said bolt, whereb y when=said bolt tisythread-ed 1302081188 moveunent ofssaidnsliiiable member, sfaidzbolt will be automatically retained in locked position by said spring.

3. .In a cable adjuster, comprising a, stamped sheetmetal body member having two cable engagceas n membersia complementary stamped sheet metalmember, means for securing said members in-spaeed -apart"relation from each other, said ber,"meansiforsecuring "said plate members 'in space'd-apartrelatron='from each other-said plate may member comprising'a portion bent infightangular relation thereto, said bent poxtiorihaving 4 t a" threaded aperture wbolt threadiztbly' mounted in said "aperture; said plate membersm'aving ribs extending outwardly:therefrom 'and 'iorming guideways,*"a*cable contactingmemberslidably mountedirr -said-guideways,--=said complementairy V bodyimember comprising a portion in right-angular relation thereto, said portion having a threadedaperture, a bolt threadably mounted in said aperture; said mem'bers having ribs extendingoutwardly-therefrom and 'forzning iprightand alinedj'guitiewa s'." a U esm ed cable contactin member slldablyf mounted in said guidevvays the bottomwall of s'aid'cable' contacting member having' aconcazvef upper TSlllffiCE' forcentei ii'ig'f'said bolt anda .convexflower surface in direct" contact with said:cable-andduakingnhaus engagingsaid V V l, v i r -41"'In a'cableradjusterfcomprisirrga,-sheet'metal body member having-two" cable engaging members, a---complementarysheet metal member, means'forsecuringsaidmembers in spaced-apart relatiomfromeachother; said 'body member comprising a portion in right-angular relation thereto, said-"portion having: a threaded aperture; *a-bolt threaiiably mounted in--said-aperture;--said mem bers having ribs extending outwardlytherefrom V I and form-ing upright guidewaysya cable contaeting member sli'tlably niounted in-said guideways the bottom wall of said cable-contacting member having a'c'oncave upper surfaice fo ncenteringsaid bolt and-a =eonvex lower surface"in direct-eontact with said' cable'gsai'd plates tiaving extensions 'formin-g'a "guideway for saidcame -to preventdisengagement?ofi -a slaek cable i roms'ai'd cable ad- 

